Cute Pumpkin Book and Tea Painting Activity!

I bought the sweetest little book the other day to go along with our pumpkin theme!  The title of it is, The Very Best Pumpkin, and you can find my story synopsis near the bottom of the post.  If you have never seen it or read it, I think it is definitely worth finding, borrowing, or buying a copy (there is also a link below if you are interested in reading more reviews about it).

The tea-stained, rich illustrations especially caught my eye, and I decided we would attempt our own at some point during the week.  :)  And that is exactly what we did!  Both my daughter and I chose our favorite illustrations in the book and attempted to make a copy of them (mine is the pumpkin one).

I took step-by-step pictures of mine so I could post them here for those interested in making one of these kinds of paintings as well.  :)  See below...  

First we used tea (just make a cup and then use it to paint instead of drink) to paint over the entire picture.  I sprinkled some regular coffee grounds on top of the wet paper but found later on that instant grounds work SOOO much better for getting those smaller dark splotches of stain (so we added the instant grounds after we tried the regular grounds).

After the tea stains had dried, we watercolored our sky and ground.  When that dried, we drew our pictures and then traced over them heavily with crayon (this creates kind of a wall effect which helps keep the paint from spreading to other areas if you are using watercolors).  If you have younger children, you may need to help them (as I did with mine) with this part to make sure the crayon is heavy enough, AND to just give those little brains and fingers a rest.

Then we painted our pictures with watercolors!  I LOVE how they turned out - especially my daughter's painting!  BTW - she needed some white for the snow so I used some acrylic paint and just watered it down a little because her small tray of paints did not contain white.  This worked really well for us!

Hope you enjoy the pictures and feel inspired!  :)

Story Synopsis:

Peter is a young boy who lives with and helps his grandparents at Pumpkin Hollow Farm. One day, as he is tending the pumpkins, he finds and follows a vine which leads him to a pumpkin all by itself in a field. He faithfully tends to it and is so busy that he apparently does not notice when new neighbors move in. Their daughter Meg, loves to read and quietly watches Peter from her yard as he cares for his pumpkin.

When the pumpkins on the farm are ready for picking, Peter helps various people find the perfect pumpkin for their needs. One day, Meg and her family show up. Meg searches the pumpkin patch but cannot seem to find the right one until Peter leads her to his lonely (but now beautiful) pumpkin and offers it to her, confessing he knew she was watching him all along. Meg and Peter become friends, and the next summer finds them tending pumpkins together! :)

Linking up to:
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Mommy and Me Activity - Acorn Necklace

As promised, here are some pictures of an acorn activity we completed together!  If you only have boys at home and really wanted to do this activity - by all means, DO IT!  Grab the chance to teach them a lesson about being unselfish, chivalrous, etc. by having them make one for grandma or a cousin or a friend or a woman at church.  You get the idea!  :)

ACORN NECKLACE:

You will need:  acorns, buttons, thread or jewelry wire, and a hot glue gun.

HOW TO:

1. Make sure your acorn tops are secure.  If not, hot glue or super glue them to the acorn body. 

2.  Wrap some wire/thread as tightly as you can around the acorn stems.  Hot glue or super glue it in place and make a loop with the other end (this is how you will hang the acorn on your necklace UNLESS you are handy with a drill).

3.  Lay out your buttons and acorns as you would like them to look on the necklace - patterned or otherwise.

4.  Thread your necklace and tie it closed - you're done!  :)  If you are using jewelry wire, check for sharp ends when you cut it.  You may want to consider putting hot glue on the ends to keep it from poking your child's neck.

Consider making matching necklaces if you are doing this with your daughter and wearing them out somewhere together!  :)

Linking up to:
www.houseofhepworths.com
www.bearrabbitbear.blogspot.com
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http://www.whipperberry.com/
http://www.tatertotsandjello.com/
http://www.momontimeout.com/
http://www.makingtheworldcuter.com/
www.mushkiloves.com
www.gingersnapcrafts.com
www.abcand123learning.com
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Homeschool Theme of the Week: Birthday!

With birthdays on the brain - how could we not have a week dedicated to such a fun theme. One of the activities we worked on throughout the week was "My Birthday Thumbprint" book. The basic idea was to have one thumbprint become the focal point of each page which showcased something you might find at a birthday.

To make this, you place one thumbprint on a paper that will be at the end of your book, then punch circles on the other pages where your thumbprint will show through.  Enjoy the end results below plus a couple of extra activity ideas and pictures!

(I apologize for the unadorned cover page - my daughter had not started coloring it when I took these pictures!)

Side note: I wish I could make this book available for free download but have no idea how to do so. Sorry!



This is a very easy and fun graph to make for your birthday theme. Just draw or type up the names or first initial of each month, then graph birthdays using a candle for each person in the family.

I often try to post words related to our topic in a pocket chart for the week, but this time I decided to do something a little different.  I saw the idea somewhere of painting by dipping paper towel rolls (or tp rolls) in paint and setting them on paper (thus making colorful circles).  I thought it might be fun to use this technique to make birthday balloons and then brainstorm a birthday related word to write inside of each balloon.  So that is what we did!  :)

A fun snack and creative art opportunity would be to give each of your children an english muffin and tell them it is a birthday cake that they must frost and decorate.  Give him/her items such as peanut butter, jam, nutella, cream cheese, raisins, string cheese circles, chopped fruits and veggies, etc. to "decorate" it.  Don't forget to add a candle and REAL sprinkles!  Here is a link to a similar snack activity I did with my child several weeks ago (only in this case it was a "wedding" cake):
http://thenatureofgrace.blogspot.com/2011/07/decorate-your-own-wedding-cake-aka.html

MORE birthday theme related ideas:

*Read birthday related books.

*Insert a birthday related word inside a balloon and blow up the balloon.  Do this for several words and fill up the classroom.  Take turns popping the balloons and reading the words - place in a pocket chart or tape to an area of the room.

*Paint a birthday picture using REAL balloons.  Just dip small balloons in paint and dab on a picture to make circles.

*Paint using different birthday candles.  Use candles with different textures on them (spiral, dots, stripes, etc.).  Dip these in paint and roll on paper.

*Use real candles (not lit) on a paper cake to make up math story problems and math sentences.

*Make a paper birthday cake and cut into slices to practice fractions or story problems.

*Place a sparkly birthday hat in a literacy corner and call it the "thinking cap" of the week.  Child may wear the hat while writing a story, brainstorming, etc.

Enjoy!
Michelle

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Ice Cream Cupcakes!

Summer days will be over soon - why not have a small seasonal send-off and make ice cream cupcakes?  I'm sure I am not the only mom to think of this idea, but just in case you have never come across it before or thought of it on your own - here you go!  :)  

To make ice cream cupcakes you simply need to decide what ice cream flavors, mix-ins, and toppings you would like.  Just layer them into a firm cupcake mold (think of making a miniature layer cake), smoosh them down, and eat!  It is that simple and that delicious!

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Theme: Food Groups and Nutrition! :)

This past week our theme was "Food Groups and Nutrition". We enjoyed learning about why we should eat good food, which foods are better for us (and that we should eat more of), and which foods belongs in which food groups. 

This picture above is showing one of the activities that went along with our theme.  We made a double-sided puzzle together.  I purchased some blank puzzles on Amazon (there is a link below if you are interested) and my daughter drew a picture of herself on one side enjoying healthy foods (that is her sitting in her chair eating healthy food - you can see the kinds of food on her plate floating around the edges of the puzzle).   And in case you are wondering at the sad little figure in the corner - that is one of our family members who apparently bumped his nose.  

On the back of the puzzle, I wrote a message we came up with together - a very basic reminder of why we eat good food.  BTW - I painted the back of the puzzle white.

This was a great activity because it was fun and inexpensive to make (the puzzles come in a pack of 12 for only about $7).  AND we now have plenty of blank puzzles we can use for other extension activities in the future!  :)

Some of the other Food/Nutrition activities we did this week:

*brainstormed and wrote down examples of food in different food groups.

*discussed why the main/larger food groups are so important for keeping us healthy and tried to list at least one specific example of the way each group helps achieve this (ex: protein helps build muscles so we can move and do different things).

*looked at the basic "plate" portions recommended - the plate idea which replaced the food pyramid.

*Cut and pasted pictures of healthy foods from different food groups onto a paper plate - creating a balanced meal.

*Made a large circle on the floor (representing a plate) and used play food to make a healthy meal inside of it.

*Went grocery shopping together and let her pick out foods from each group to make a meal for us at the end of the week!  :)

* Here are some links to some games you can play online regarding food groups/nutrition:
 http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids.php http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/nutritionforkids/games/foodgroupsgame.html



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Wooden Spoon Puppets (Family Theme)

Our theme for this week is: FAMILY! :) One of the activities we have been doing almost every day is to make a new family member puppet to add to our puppet theater center.   These are some we have already finished so far...

These are so easy, inexpensive (I think a bag of different sized wooden spoons is about $0.88 at Walmart which is where we purchased ours), and fun! My daughter LOVES them and even though they were made for playing with in the puppet center, they have already taken "field trips" into our home and gone on a walk with us. :)  In fact, I believe they are sleeping on our couch tonight on top of some beds she made for them out of mega blocks.  :)

For those interested in the "family" theme, I have posted some other activities/ideas we completed this week (or will be doing tomorrow) below the puppet instructions.  Enjoy!

Wooden Spoon Puppets:

Materials needed: wooden spoons, google eyes (optional), yarn for hair (optional), material for "clothes" (optional), popsicle/craft sticks, yarn or string, markers, glue and glue gun.

Puppet making process:

1. Hot glue a craft stick into place for the arms of the puppet. I tied mine with yarn as well to make sure it would not be coming off despite the rigors of child "love".  (See picture below.)

2. Let your child glue the google eyes onto the "face" and use markers to decorate the other parts of the face.

3. Let your child (or you could do it yourself with a hot glue gun) glue pieces of yarn to the head for hair.

4. While these are drying, let your child cut out some rectangular pieces of cloth for the puppet's clothing. Cut a slit in the middle of the cloth rectangle for a head opening (make sure it is large enough for the spoon head to fit through).

5. Dress your puppet in his/her stylish new clothes and PLAY!!!! :)

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES/IDEAS FOR "FAMILY" THEME:

1. Read books about family.

2. Discuss families, people in our families, how families help each other, adoption and birth into families, etc.

3. Make a word web showing what we discussed (link all ideas to the word "family" at the center).

4. Learn and sing a song asking members of the family how we can help them. Here are the words (sing to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine"):
How can I help?
How can I help?
How can I help, Mommy dear?
How can I help?
How can I help?
How can I help, Mommy dear?
Other verses: just switch out "Mommy dear" for other members of the family.

5. Make lists of how different people in our family help us and others.

6.  Decorate thank you notes and then put all family member names into an envelope.  Without peeking, each person picks out a name and writes a thank you note to that person, telling them how grateful they are for them and for how they contribute to the family.  Hide the notes in places where each family member is sure to find them during the day and enjoy the happy looks when the thank you notes are read.  :)

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www.abcand123learning.com

Back To School Countdown Can!

The beginning of (home)school is just around the corner for us so we made a back to school countdown can!  Simple, inexpensive, and adds to the anticipation as we count our way down to the first day of school!  Each day we unwrap the numbered flag and read what is written inside - activities for my daughter to do to help prepare for school and even some fun little treat ones - like "eat a chocolate chip".

(BTW - if the "following" area is not showing up on your computer - not sure why this is happening on and off - and you wanted to become a follower - check the top of the page.  On my computer there is a "follow" button at the very top and that seems to work.  If it does not work for you, let me know and I will see what else I can do.  Sorry for the inconvenience for those who have been trying to follow the blog. )

If you want to make a Countdown Can, you will need:  a package of pencils, a can, hot glue gun, one piece of paper (decorative or otherwise), optional paint and decorative ribbon.

1.  Decide when to start the countdown and get that many pencils for the can.  

2.  OPTIONAL:  paint your can.

3.  Cut one large strip of decorative paper (our apple paper came from Hobby Lobby, and I only used one sheet) to glue around the can and smaller strips for the tops of the pencils.   

4.  On the inside of each strip, write something for your kids to do each day of the countdown (picking out a "first day" outfit, cleaning, going shopping for school supplies, or it could be as fun and simple as eating a chocolate chip)!  

5.  On one end of the outside of the strip, paste a number - or you could just write a number on it.  Hot glue the opposite end to the pencil, roll it around the pencil leaving the numbered part free to make a small "flag" and add another small dot of hot glue to keep it from completely unrolling.   

6.  OPTIONAL:  Tie a decorative ribbon around the middle of your can.

7.  Toss the pencils in the can and begin your countdown!  :)

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From Wedding Shower Invitation to Girl's Room Decoration - Part 2

Yesterday I showed you how I had made a reminder/invitation card holder from a frame and some crepe paper roses.  Well, I thought it turned out so lovely that I hated to just throw it all out after the wedding shower.  So instead, I turned it into a framed monogram for my daughter's room since it matched the decor and colors.  To make this from scratch:

Materials needed:  frame, paper, crepe paper, hot glue, scissors

Directions:

1.  Re-finish a frame in the color of your choice (optional step).

2.  Remove the glass from the frame.

3.  Measure and cut a piece of paper the size of the inside of your frame.

4.  Make a bunch of crepe paper roses (easy tutorial here: http://danielleflanders.blogspot.com/2010/01/crepe-paper-roses.html) and glue to the paper.

5.  Insert paper into the frame making sure it fits (trim paper and roses as necessary) and put the frame backing into place behind the paper (this should hold it in the frame).

6.  Choose the size of letter, font, and paper you wish to print your monogram on OR stencil a letter onto decorative/colored paper.  (This might be a good time to have your child help with choosing what she would like, and she could even help with the stenciling or cutting part).

7.  If printing:  when you are ready to print, place your paper in the printer so your letter will print on the BACK of the paper and under your print options, make sure you tell it to flip the image.  This will make it so when you cut out your letter - it shows up the right way on the decorative side of the paper.  (If this sounds a bit confusing - you might want to experiment on a scrap piece of paper first).

8.  Cut out stencil or printed letter and glue to the roses in the frame. 

9.  Let the glue dry.  Then hang up your wall art and admire! 
(Side note:  This would be cute to hang on the door of a little girl's room as well.)

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Busy Baby Blocks!

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If you have an infant, then you probably already know about the "changing table wiggles (or maybe I should say -woes)". Simply described: you place your infant on the changing pad and instantly the body of the child becomes a twisting, grasping mass where anything remotely close by (and even some things you thought were unreachable) is considered fair game in said infant's eyes.

Solution? Well, you could always put toys nearby, but then they might not be readily available for play later on when you need them. And who really wants to wash a teddy bear or toy that came into accidental contact with a dirty diaper? Not I.

Then I had an "AHA!" moment.

Now, I am not sure when the "aha" moment actually occurred - but does it really matter? What is more important is that I HAD an "aha" moment. :)

I had been storing up a few small Gerber baby food containers because they just seemed so perfect for...well...for something. So I thought, why not put objects inside them to create noise, glue them shut and keep a few close by to hand the baby as a distraction during a diaper change. And of course, I didn't want them to look...well.."blah", so paint would have to be involved. Thus, "busy baby blocks" were born.

Now, before I tell you how to make these easy, peasy "blocks" - PLEASE keep two things in mind:

1. NEVER leave your baby alone with these. I tried to make these safe in case my baby did manage to pop one open, but they are NOT something I would be comfortable throwing in a crib or pack-n-play while I have my back turned away.  

2. These are not the "holy grail" of distraction. Yes, they may keep your child occupied for a bit - but eventually (like most toys) your child will outgrow them or just start looking for another sparkly or noisy thing nearby. Don't be discouraged - just eat some chocolate and think of this as an opportunity for finding another creative solution. :) But in the meantime, enjoy the moments when your baby is enthralled by his/her new "busy baby blocks".

What you will need:

**Gerber containers

**paint (non-toxic)

**glue gun

**safe items to put inside the "blocks".  This is VERY important.  For safety's sake, just assume your infant will one day figure out how to pry open a lid, so you want to make sure that whatever is inside the block will not be a problem if the child does. (Examples:  just a few grains of rice - if your child managed to open a block and swallow too many, it could be dangerous so only use a very small amount, little bit of dry oatmeal flakes - again use only a very small amount, broken cheerios, large jingle bells. I used VERY large jingle bells that would be hard for my baby to swallow (although not impossible for him to get stuck in his mouth) if he ever did manage to open the block.  HOWEVER, keep in mind that if the small ball in the jingle bell falls out, that could be a serious hazard.  You may want to further safety proof them by placing the bells in a small mesh bag first and then placing the bag inside the block OR just skip the bells altogether. 

Directions:

1. Paint the INSIDE of the Gerber container and lid. If you want to have a two color design, paint with one color first and let it dry. Then go back over the inside with a different color (see photo below). 
P.S.  My daughter helped me paint some of these, so this might be a fun activity for older siblings to work on with you.  :)
IMPORTANT: Don't paint the inside rim of the lid that overhangs when the container is closed. That part is exposed to the outside ultimately and thus exposed to baby's mouth.  Your paint SHOULD be NON-TOXIC, but who really wants paint of any sort in their baby's mouth?

2. Add items to each container.


3. Working rapidly with your glue gun, make a line of hot glue along the edge of the container and quickly press the lid onto the container.



4. Check the entire block to make sure all paint on the outside has been removed. Check to make sure the lid is  really secure on each block.

5. Place in a box or basket close to the changing table and let your baby enjoy!
 

BTW: I am participating in a blog contest for the top 25 creative mom blogs and would LOVE it if you would cast a vote for me!  :)  The button is on the sidebar and you don't have to be a member or sign up or anything to vote - just click the button which takes you to the site and cast your vote.  You can vote once a day so if you feel extra generous and want to cast a vote on another day - I would LOOOOVVVVEEEE it if you would!  Thanks so much!

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